Ocean Life by Mary Hatfield

The ocean life table was commissioned by Mystic Aquarium. Sea School to be auctioned off to benefit children education about the ocean. The square pedestal base is hand painted with four scenes of the ocean. On each corner there is a decorative bracket and the pedestal feet have adjustable levelers for added stability. The sides of the table top are carved molding painted as an ocean wave scene. The table top is a mosaic of glass glitter tiles, hand painted ceramic and glazed tiles, sea glass, shells and other finds from the ocean, smalti, vitreous and metallic tiles, re-purposed drawer pulls, glass sea life jewelry and blown glass ornaments. The bustling sea life is all grouted with a custom mixed unsanded epoxy glitter grout. The entire table is covered in an epoxy resin finish for durability and smooth finish. This piece is filled with one of a kind items and makes a truly unique table. Because the pieces the artist uses on the table are one of a kind, each table will be different. She can custom make any size table in its likeness. Varying sizes from listing may change the pricing. Each piece has artist's insignia on bottom of table.

Mary Hatfield creates sustainable, award winning art mosaics and fine furniture for gallery, architectural, community, business settings and homes. She designs traditional and contemporary styles that beg to be touched and should be to be truly enjoyed. They are built as elegant, beautiful and functional pieces that will last for generations. Born and raised in Missouri, she learned most of her woodworking, glass cutting, mosaic and painting skills from her parents. Her father, a trade craftsman, and her mother, a creator of many types of domestic designs, were very patient with her youthful exuberance of painted murals on bedroom walls and tile projects that left grout tracked through their house. While she always worked with different mediums of art throughout her life, her practical nature got the better of her after she received her BA from the University of Missouri in English and she choose to pursue an education in law. This led her to Los Angeles, California where she earned a Juris Doctorate and Masters in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University. Her time in law school would prove pivotal for Mary and her artistry. Inspired by her beautiful surroundings in California, she immersed herself into mosaics and furniture to balance her studies of law and she soon realized that she enjoyed being an artist much more than being a lawyer. Mary spent time traveling and studying in Europe, admiring the tile work and architectural sights in her travels. After law school she married, moved to Connecticut and took a professional hiatus from both art and law to raise her girls. Now that her children are all of school age she has reemerged in the art and furniture world with a vast new hunger for mosaics, furniture making and color while using found, recycled, green and reclaimed products in each piece. “My influences come from all around me, things I see in nature, my travels and experiences and my children. Inspiration also comes from my clients who come to me for commissioned pieces with ideas of their own. I work with them to process the idea of what they want through my own eyes. I enjoy the pieces I make in collaboration with my clients as much as my own pieces because the results are always beautiful and unique.”